Blake And Wordsworth On London

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Blake and Wordsworth in London London, the capital city of Britain, is often referred to as the setting for poems by many English poets in their poetical works. But it is perceived from different perspectives. We see a different London in William Wordsworth’s “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” than in William Blake’s “London.” Blake’s “London” was first printed in 1794 in Songs of Experience and Wordsworth’s “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” first appeared in the collection Poems in Two Volumes in 1807, published after Lyrical Ballads. It is almost as though the poems are about two different cities even though the poems were written within the same decade about the same city. Wordsworth wrote “Composed upon Westminster Bridge” in 1802. In this poem, he presents a very beautiful, energetic picture of London before the reader’s eyes; while a passive, lifeless London full of suffering is displayed in William Blake’s “London” which was written in 1794. The two poets show sharp contrasting views about London. Wordsworth tries to affect the reader with a sense of wonderment at the beauty that is created with a sunrise. William Blake, however, intends to inform the readers of the evil social conditions at that time. Why do the two poets have such different attitudes toward the same city? In a sense, their different growing experiences shape their own personalities and views toward life and world. William Wordsworth was born in 1770 in England, and was raised amid the mountains of Cumberland alongside the river Derwent after his parents’ death during his childhood. Wordsworth grew up in a rustic society, and spent a great deal of his time playing outdoors, which developed his love for nature. In Wordsworth’s opinion, a poem is the “spontaneous overflow of emotions” (Abrams 151). Poetry originates in “emotion recollected in a state of tranquility” (Abrams 151). According
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